Crime/Vandalism

A 911 call came into to South King Fire & Rescue at 2:45 p.m. Oct. 30 for the fire department to respond and investigate a woman swimming in open water off the Redondo Pier in Des Moines.

Fire department units arrived and confirmed an adult woman about 300 feet off shore. The Tacoma Fire Boat “Destiny,” a boat from Burien Fire and a Coast Guard vessel were requested to assist in the offshore rescue.

Rescue team members and a rescue swimmer from South King Fire commandeered 2 local rowboats and, along with Des Moines Police officers, made their way to the woman. The agitated woman threatened to overturn the rowboats, so firefighters backed away and monitored the woman’s condition with their rescue swimmer ready to intervene if necessary.

The Tacoma Fire Boat arrived and quickly brought the woman on board and transported her to the Redondo boat launch for medical evaluation. She was transported to a local hospital in stable condition.

10/31/2012

One City Council member really wants SeaTac to live up to its motto as the “Hospitality City.”

Rick Forschler proposed Oct. 23 that city residents share their homes with airline employees that are laid over in SeaTac during the holidays.

Forschler even gave out his cell phone number, 206-419-5170, for residents interested in his project.

He said pilots, flight attendants and other airline employees are often staying in SeaTac hotels away from their families during holiday periods. He noted residents could be become better neighbors and friends by inviting the employees to spend the holiday with them.

He said the idea came to him as he pondered requests to the council for city funds to put on Angle Lake fireworks displays on Independence Day. The council has appropriated $10,000 annually for several years to help fund the display.

Forschler said he is opposed to using city money for the display but would organize voluntary fundraising efforts. He noted no one has taken him up on his offer.

He said that got him thinking g about the city’s “core competency,” which he described as the airport and related businesses.

10/25/2012

Press release:

King County Sheriff’s Detectives arrested a man in connection with a Malicious Harassment case that occurred Sunday in Burien when a man tore a “Reject R-74” (referendum on same-sex marriage) sign off of a woman’s car and shoved another woman when she stepped in to help.

Detectives arrested the 23-year-old Burien man at a house in the 900 block of 164 St. SE in Snohomish County just after 10 a.m. Oct.17. The man was booked in the King County Jail for Investigation of Malicious Harassment.

The case will be forwarded to the prosecutor for review.

10/18/2012

Hotel committee declines to fund symphony that does not put 'heads in beds'

Because times have changed from what many adults remember about their school experience, SeaTac Police Chief Jim Graddon told SeaTac lawmakers Oct. 9, a full-time police officer is needed at the Tyee High campus and Chinook Middle School.

The council members agreed and unanimously voted to renew the School Resource Officer (SRO) contract for the adjoining campuses.

Councilmember Pam Fernald noted constituents question her about the program.

The police chief said that a police officer has much more authority than a school district security officer. With arrest powers, a police officer can deal more effectively with weapons, drugs or an unruly student at school. The officer can also handle problems off school grounds, he added.

With the officer already on site, there are fewer 911 calls from the school, which would have taken officers off patrols, he added.

Especially in the middle school, a police officer can also develop relationships with students and serve as a mentor, he said.

“Just one person deciding not to go in the wrong direction would be worth it,” Graddon declared.

10/12/2012

Free unwanted drug disposal on Saturday, Sept. 29

Press release:

King County residents can dispose of their unwanted and expired medicines anonymously and at no cost at a nationwide drug “take-back” day on Saturday, Sept. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This one-day event is coordinated by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and participating local law enforcement agencies.

About 30 percent of prescription and over-the-counter medicines sold go unused. Unused prescription drugs too often fall into the hands of children and teens, where they cause poisonings and deaths. In fact:

Prescription drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the country.

09/26/2012

Voluntary, user-entered safety profiles can provide critical information to 9-1-1 centers and emergency responders when help is needed

Press release:

In an emergency, seconds count. Making sure 9-1-1 call-takers and emergency responders have all the information they need can mean the difference between life and death.

To assist in this critical task, King County is launching “Smart911,” a supplemental data service that allows residents to create a personal safety profile in a secure database. That information can then be used to assist 9-1-1 call-takers and responders in the field.

“With this new tool, 9-1-1 call-takers can locate callers and send help to the right place more efficiently,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “It’s especially effective for users of cell phones, whose locations cannot be pinpointed as they can with landlines.”

Smart911 is free to every resident of King County, and registration is voluntary. To create a safety profile, users go to a secure website, www.Smart911.com. Then, they enter their phone numbers, as well as address, medical, disability, or other information that could be useful to emergency personnel.

09/12/2012

Extra Drive Hammered, Get Nailed patrols this weekend

Coinciding with the ongoing Drive Hammered, Get Nailed extra DUI patrols, law enforcement and community members in South King County are banding together Saturday, Sept. 1 to canvass bars in South King County, including SeaTac, Burien, Tukwila, Kent, Renton, Auburn and Federal Way to alert patrons to the extra DUI patrols and options to make it home safely.

Approximately two-dozen officers, deputies and troopers are expected to participate.

08/30/2012

She now directs Burien law enforcement training center

Press release:

Sue Rahr, director of the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center in Burien, has joined Central Washington University’s Law and Justice Department Advisory Board.

She is the former King County Sheriff—the first woman elected to that position in its 155-year history.

Central's satellite campus at Highline Community College in Des Moines offers a bachelors degree in law and justice.

“It’s fantastic to have such an outstanding member of the law and justice community on our board,” said Charles Reasons, professor and chair of CWU’s Law and Justice Department. “In addition to being a well-respected officer who has risen through the ranks of law enforcement, Rahr provides an important role model for the young women in our program.”

Rahr has been in law enforcement for 32 years. At the beginning of her career, she spent five years on patrol and in undercover narcotics. She was promoted to sergeant and supervised patrol and later, special units in burglary, criminal warrants, and special assault Units.

07/25/2012

Decision comes after opposition at school board meeting

There will be no “Kids and Cops” Initiative on the Burien ballot this November.

Without a formal vote, Burien City Council members decided June 18 to not move forward on the proposal.

As introduced by City Manager Mike Martin the six-year initiative would have funded a surge in Burien police officers and provide grants to some Burien elementary schools.

The initiative would have been funded by an increase in utility taxes and would have needed voter approval.

The city council’s decision came after three influential school leaders roasted the proposal at a June 5 Highline School Board meeting.

The three leaders said the initiative would make it harder to pass school district levies and bonds because Burien voters would think they already had voted on funding the schools.

They also noted the school board is elected to decide funding priorities. Providing direct funding at the discretion of school principals would circumvent the process, they argued.

06/21/2012

SeaTac’s Municipal Court is holding a series of public events June 4-8 to commemorate National Law Week.

“We are very excited to celebrate Law Week with the citizens of SeaTac,” Municipal Court Judge Elizabeth Cordi-Bejarano declared. “We have a number of community events and we are especially looking forward to working with the teachers and students at Tyee to increase awareness regarding constitutional rights, the services offered by the courts of our state, and career opportunities related to the legal profession.”

In 1958 President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the first Law Day. Congress, in 1961, issued a joint resolution designating May 1st as the official date for celebrating Law Day. While May 1st is the official date for Law Day, many organizations celebrate Law Day, Law Week, or even Law Month.

Here is SeaTac’s Law Week schedule of events:

Monday June 4th
Mock Trials & DUI, Drug Recognition & K-9 Presentations 8:30 AM – 11:45 AM Students will be separated into 3 groups of 35 each. Groups A, B & C will rotate between sessions. Each session will be 1 hour in length with 5 minutes allowed for transition time between sessions.